Wednesday, October 23, 2013

W is for Wasted (Kinsey Millhone #23) by Sue Grafton

Two dead bodies changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the other I’d never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue.

The first was a local PI of suspect reputation. He’d been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. It looked like a robbery gone bad. The other was on the beach six weeks later. He’d been sleeping rough. Probably homeless. No identification. A slip of paper with Millhone’s name and number was in his pants pocket. The coroner asked her to come to the morgue to see if she could ID him.

Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently of natural causes.

But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange linkages begin to emerge. And before long at least one aspect is solved as Kinsey literally finds the key to his identity. And just like that,” she says, the lid to Pandora’s box flew open. It would take me another day before I understood how many imps had been freed, but for the moment, I was inordinately pleased with myself.”

In this multilayered tale, the surfaces seem clear, but the underpinnings are full of betrayals, misunderstandings, and outright murderous fraud. And Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly compromised.

W is for . . . wanderer . . . worthless . . . wronged . . .

My Review

As usual, the story was beautifully written and well
crafted. I know when I pick up a Sue Grafton book I’ll be satisfied. And I was.

However, sometimes even with the greatest of writers one
book may not be perfect. I found it hard to believe when a strong lead came
along that Chaney didn’t see the connection with a family member and mention it
to Kinsey.

Also, the disease that Pete had, because I had a family
member with that disease, I found it hard that Pete was able to live the life
they said he had.

I was left with question about Ethan. I just didn’t feel I
had the closure with his character. I won’t say more for spoilers.

Finally, having read numerous book by John Grisham, the
ending as it relates to a company was rather predictable.

Audio Review

Judy Kaye does a wonderful job of narration and bringing the
story to life.

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